About

Why Imperial Beach Community Clinic

Imperial Beach Community Clinic (IBCC) has four decades of experience providing excellent, comprehensive and lifelong healthcare to South Bay residents.

We opened in 1971 with the goal of addressing the unique needs and cultures of our thriving community. Then, several Navy doctors joined with other local officers and a group of nearby “hippies” to create The Imperial Beach Peoples’ Free Clinic. In their flip flops and shorts, volunteer doctors and staff welcomed patients into a converted old school house. It took donated medical supplies to bind the wounds and prevent disease with vaccines.

By 1975, this rag-tag bunch managed to win several government grants. Thereafter, they received certification to allow them to bill Medi-Cal and other insurance companies on behalf of patients. The dedication to serving low-income, uninsured and families experiencing homelessness continues to this day.

It took another five years before the clinic could afford a paid medical director, and the hiring of a full-time administrator to free medical staff to focus on healthcare.

In the 1980s, the director established agreements with UCSD Medical Center and Mercy Hospital to station their doctors here to create formal pediatric and prenatal programs. This soon led to a realization that the clinic needed more space. In the early 90s, the clinic moved from the old school house to an expanded, leased space in a small shopping center, the Silver Strand Plaza. The patient population changed over time to become more overweight with adults having serious, chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

By 2000, the clinic was serving more patients than ever and had outgrown its space yet again. Finding the necessary funding to pay for the expansion was the next challenge. With the help of funding from the state of California, a much bigger and beautiful health center was born.

In November of 2002, Imperial Beach Health Center moved to a 7,400 square-foot facility at 949 Palm Ave. The new clinic was able to double the services offered to the community. Impressive medical outcomes and patient enthusiasm helped IBCC win more grants until, in 2006, it earned the status of a Federally Qualified Health Center. To increase its patient and provider bases, IBCC once again reinforced its infrastructure and built Nestor Community Health Center, which opened to the public in 2011. Today, our two health centers and committed, compassionate staff continue to grow with the ever-burgeoning Imperial Beach population.

Imperial Beach Community Clinic Today

Each year, our staff provides women’s, behavioral, pediatric and adult care to more than 10,000 patients. We are passionate about serving those who may not otherwise have access to healthcare. To ensure clear communication with all patients, IBCC has many staff members, nurses and doctors who speak both English and Spanish. Our staff are trained to recognize cultural differences among people of differing ages, backgrounds, genders and education levels.

Imperial Beach Community Clinic is comprised of the Imperial Beach Health Center on 949 Palm Avenue and the Nestor Community Health Center at 1016 Outer Road, less than 2 miles away.

Over the past 40 years, we’ve helped countless patients thrive in career and community despite chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Our prenatal and pediatric services ensure our community’s children grow up as healthy as possible, so they can capture every opportunity.

This health center receives HHS funding and has Federal Public Health Service (PHS) deemed status with respect to certain health or health-related claims, including medical malpractice claims, for itself and its covered individuals

IBCC has met rigorous criteria within six (6) standards leading to the highest level of Patient Centered Medical Home recognition from the National Committee on Quality Assurance.

Have a question? Ready to make an appointment? Contact us today, and one of our patient service representatives will be happy to assist you!